After a bright start to the 2023 season, Iga Swiatek hasn’t been having the best of times recently. Although she was one of the favorites to win the Wimbledon Championships, she fell short, bowing out in the quarterfinals. Subsequently, she returned empty-handed from the grass court season this year. In the recently concluded National Bank Open and the Western and Southern Open, she lost in the semifinals against American opponents, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, respectively. Recently, she faced Martina Navratilova’s wrath as Iga revealed reasons for her dip in form.

The Polish star earlier said that she doesn’t feel good ahead of the US Open. On that front, she said that her fuel tank felt empty going into the last Grand Slam tournament of the season. However, Navratilova didn’t sympathize with her, as she had strong words for World Number 1.

What did Martina Navratilova say about Iga Swiatek?

During an interview, the tennis legend talked about Swiatek, who is the defending champion and one of the favorites to win the tournament. Despite the 4-time Grand Slam champion issuing a concerning statement ahead of the US Open, Navratilova felt that this was the life of tennis players and didn’t sympathize with her.

Navratilova said that Iga, being Polish, had to play in her native country at the Poland Open. Subsequently, she added, as reported by iNews, “But I still have to say, ‘Come on, just s*ck it up’. It’s September, you didn’t play that many tournaments and this is the US Open. So if you can’t get up for that… if you’re that mentally tired, don’t play.”

Despite not being in the best of physical condition, Swiatek will step onto the court in New York to defend her US Open crown. However, she had some advice for tennis bodies about the season schedule.

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Swiatek slams extension of Masters tournaments

After many big players cut short their journey in Cincinnati, the French Open champion feels that the extension of these tournaments beyond a week makes it challenging for players. She said, “I think it’s a sign for WTA & ATP to kind of take it easy on us. On the other side, there’s business they need to take care of. Our season is actually going to get longer.”

Further, Swiatek will take on Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson in the first round of the US Open. It’ll be interesting to see if she manages to overcome her dip in form and defend the US Open title.

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